Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, April 5, 2024

1,609 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle report →

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $295.83/cwt -16.90 vs last sale · ≈ $1,569/hd at 530 lb · 125 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $339.07/cwt -27.45 vs last sale · ≈ $1,807/hd at 533 lb · 115 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $237.25/cwt -2.75 vs last sale · ≈ $2,218/hd at 935 lb · 110 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,609 1,839 1,548
Feeder cattle 1,609 1,839 1,548

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. No comparison today, as the last sale was not Preconditioned. Most of the sale offered strings of light cattle with a few load lots of both calves and yearling cattle. Demand was good throughout the sale, even with the market dropping this week.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
384 384 5 415.00 $415.00 $1,594
410–429 423 67 348.00–386.00 $360.18 $1,524 -28.08
484–498 491 25 332.00–360.00 $345.91 $1,698
515–549 533 115 330.00–346.00 $339.07 $1,807 -27.45
557–595 587 80 298.00–326.00 $308.58 $1,811 -30.40
610–640 623 20 291.00–319.00 $307.65 $1,917
675–696 677 86 262.00–282.50 $280.20 $1,897 -29.49
726 726 28 245.00 $245.00 $1,779 -18.90
757–791 783 97 230.00–248.50 $244.47 $1,914 -21.53
803 803 3 233.00 $233.00 $1,871 -20.08
858–896 861 33 211.00–231.00 $229.11 $1,973 -15.37
935 935 110 237.25 $237.25 $2,218 -2.75
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–393 388 28 345.00–353.00 $351.66 $1,364 -8.34
407–433 427 33 305.00–319.00 $307.83 $1,314 -39.67
515 515 3 311.00 $311.00 $1,602 -22.21
632–643 637 13 265.00–279.00 $274.20 $1,747 -16.80
663–697 682 16 245.50–251.00 $249.34 $1,700
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
275 275 3 1,025.00 $1,025.00
324–348 330 12 1,375.00–1,425.00 $1,388.18

↑ Back to top

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 376 18 310.00 $310.00 $1,166
408–421 411 24 307.00–322.50 $314.34 $1,292 -41.20
465–498 480 70 293.50–310.00 $303.25 $1,456 -4.03
526 thin fleshed 526 14 315.00 $315.00 $1,657
500–548 531 111 283.00–310.00 $293.41 $1,558 -19.32
553–599 573 46 267.00–295.00 $276.72 $1,586 -17.92
604–623 613 37 258.00–279.50 $271.53 $1,664 +7.24
653–695 684 108 241.00–251.00 $248.50 $1,700 -14.32
710–727 715 30 240.00–246.00 $241.56 $1,727 -4.25
761–798 783 57 211.00–234.00 $213.45 $1,671 -26.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
437–446 441 9 271.00–282.50 $276.17 $1,218 -39.83
492 492 22 266.00 $266.00 $1,309
504–538 525 17 276.50–280.00 $277.27 $1,456
580 580 3 262.50 $262.50 $1,522 -2.50
616–649 641 25 240.00–250.00 $243.16 $1,559
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
166 166 3 625.00 $625.00
249 249 5 825.00 $825.00
291 291 4 925.00 $925.00
314 314 12 1,200.00 $1,200.00
351–376 364 6 975.00–1,150.00 $1,065.51

↑ Back to top

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.